Hi y'all,

I need to buy a snow plow for my personal plowing needs. Below are some details:

• I currently plow with a '93 F-350 RCFB (133" wheelbase) 7.5 gasser with a 7'6" Fisher straight blade plow.
• I'm buying a plow for a '92 F-250 SCLB (155" wheelbase) 7.5 gasser (I would have preferred an RCLB but nothing turned up at a good price after looking for 6 months).
• I plow a 1.5 mile forest service road to access my house and the drives around the house. Mostly level although there are some inclines and one particular hill that I sometimes stop plowing.
• This is in N. Idaho and we get 5' - 8' of snow per year.
• This plow will probably never plow a paved surface - it's all dirt and gravel.

The primary drawback of the Fisher is that it's only 7' 6" wide and I need something longer to to push the snow to the side of the road while keeping the wheels out of the ditches.

I'm looking for a wider plow. I'm not inclined to get a V-plow given the cost and added moving parts.

Three plows that I'm looking at:

Snowdogg 8' HDll w/wings: at less than $7K it's a good price

https://www.buyersproducts.com/product/snowdogg-hdii-snow-plow-4500

Western 8' 6" Pro Plow ll: It's about $1,500 more but I'm believe that buys some quality and durability over the Snowdogg

The Best-Selling WESTERN Straight Blade

With customers counting on you, it's time to invest in a plow you can trust. There's a good reason the WESTERN® PRO-PLOW® Series 2 snow plow remains one of the best-selling straight blades in the business.

westernplows.com

Western Prodigy: the price jumps to $10K but the built in wings add needed width and hopefully some efficiency gains.

Head of Its Class

Even the newest driver on your crew can plow like a seasoned pro with the WESTERN PRODIGY snow plow.

westernplows.com

I'm not married to the brands above, that's just what came up as I searched. I started with Fisher but it doesn't appear they'll sell a plow for a '92 F-250 with the 3,920 front axle GAWR, only for the 4,400 GAWR axle (I went back and forth with the sales guy on this at one dealer and the second dealer hasn't returned my call yet).

What sort of advice do you have for me? I pretty much only know the F-350 with the Fisher plow that I bought used so I'm open to any and all opinions.

Part of the road I plow: View attachment 254859

Around the house:
View attachment 254858

The '92 F-250 that needs a plow (The 285/85 tires will be replaced with stocj sized 235/85 snow tires):
View attachment 254860

Thanks for anything you've got.

With a truck that long, the wider the better.

 

Gonna be honest that I may have skimmed your post so I apologize if any of these questions are answered already:

Are you intending to make both trucks plow trucks? 'Cuz I'm reading it as your F-350 has too small of a plow so you are purchasing an entirely different 30 yo truck to replace it. Or is there a problem with the F-350 that is making you replace it?

What local dealers do you have? You mention Snowdogg and Western but say you prefer Fisher.

There is nothing about the Front GAWR on your '92 that will stop the Fisher plow from going on, only whether or not it's recommended. I'm going to guess that the '92 does not have any of it's factory warranty remaining.

 

Are you intending to make both trucks plow trucks? 'Cuz I'm reading it as your F-350 has too small of a plow so you are purchasing an entirely different 30 yo truck to replace it. Or is there a problem with the F-350 that is making you replace it?

What local dealers do you have? You mention Snowdogg and Western but say you prefer Fisher.

There is nothing about the Front GAWR on your '92 that will stop the Fisher plow from going on, only whether or not it's recommended. I'm going to guess that the '92 does not have any of it's factory warranty remaining.

The F-350 has had a hard life and it won't likely make it through another season w/out a mid-season breakdown. I'll use it as a back-up and probably to plow a tight area where the shorter wheelbase and narrower plow are an advantage.

There are two Fisher dealers in Spokane (about 60 miles away). Western and Meyer are also in Spokane. Snow dog is in Sandpoint (about 40 miles away). My preference is for Fisher simply because that was on the F-350 when I bought it used.

Thanks for the tip on Fisher and the front axle. I kind of figured that.

LOL, yep, even the longest extended warranty expired years ago.

 

9’ 2” Boss V

Not sure why you’re compromising and not considering a Vplow

I would highly recommend putting some weight in the back of that truck. Even with your chains I can see you spinning your wheels

 

Trying to keep costs down is the primary reason in not considering the V-plow.

This is a long-term purchase so the annual cost will be averaged over 10 or more years.

What are the benefits of a V-plow?

• Punching through 10" of wet snow on a single lane drive?
• Fewer passes when clearing a parking area?

Thanks for the tip on the weight. I usually have 7 or so sandbags in that flatbed and will use them in the 250.

 

New site vendor...worth a look.

New to forum but old in snowplow business

Arctic Snowplows is a local Canadian Snowplow, Galvanized Spreaders, and Hitch Mount Salter manufacturer exclusively for pickup trucks (half-ton, ¾ ton, and 1 ton), located in London ON since 1969. We offer our Snowplows in three categories: Poly, Steel, and Stainless Steel. We have a full line...

www.plowsite.com

 

Even though the snowdogg has HD in its name…its anything but. Unless I’m mistaken the 9’ 2” Boss has less moving parts and less hydraulics than the western prodigy. Let me know if that’s not a fact. And you really don’t need the stainless version. You’ll get better quality and durability with Boss’s moldboard and cutting edge trip action. The others don’t have that. I’m assuming parts and support are somewhat equal between them based on your location?

They certainly get a good amount of seasonal snow there, and the times when they get dumped on along with serious drifting the V will outperform a straight plow. According to his 2nd pic he’s storing and stacking somewhere so the Boss will outperform there too…that is if/when he becomes proficient.

You asked for opinions, this is mine. I have decades of firsthand experience with just about every plow out there. There will be other opinions. The Boss really is the boss. It will certainly be there for you 10 years down the road.

 

You asked for opinions, this is mine. I have decades of firsthand experience with just about every plow out there. There will be other opinions. The Boss really is the boss. It will certainly be there for you 10 years down the road.

So you're like the Dean Fisher of the plowsite?

 

Stay away from the SnoDog, you will be spending your time running to the dealer for parts and warranty instead of moving snow. Look into adding more than the 7 sand bags ( assuming they are store bought 40 - 60 lbs ). Get yourself 600-800 lbs or more back there, your truck will do much better. Your 460 will do the work no problem. I carry 1200 lbs in the rear with my 460.

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice so far. My next step is to shop for a dealer and refine the plow selection. All the dealers are 50-80 miles from me.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good dealer in the Spokane, WA to Sandpoint, ID area?

Titan Trucks in Spokane sells Meyer, Western and SnoDogg. Horizon in Hayden and Spokane sells Boss. There are a few other dealers ranging from tire stores to car dealers which I'm guessing are hit and miss depending on how they want to service their plow business.

 

You'll want a dealer with a good parts inventory and good service.
50 miles seems better than 80, if they're a good dealer.
Personally, I'd be inclined to go with a Boss. If not Boss, western.

 

Here's a status update on my plow selection:

Dealer selection: The dealer network in N. Idaho is thin and 50 - 80 miles away. Buick dealers, tire stores, lanscaping shops, etc. are typical. Not that there's anything wrong with that but I don't think I want a Buick dealer or a marginal tire shop installing the plow and being responsible for warranty support. Titan Truck in Spokane (80 miles away) carries Western, Meyer and Snowdogg and stocks quite a few plows so they have availability and appear to do the volume needed to be competent (not that volume guarantees quality).

Question: What opinions do y'all have about a V-plow versus an extendable plow for a one plow operation? This is for plowing drives around my house and the 1 1/2 mile forest road leading to my house. 100% gravel and 100% my responsibility - no one else lives on this road.

My priorities:
1 - windrowing the 1 1/2 mile road
2 - a wide plow that will keep the truck out of the ditches, I'm thinking 9'6" versus my current 7'6" Fisher
3 - stacking snow
4 - the road and the property is protected by trees so drifting is nonexistent so punching through drifts is not a priority

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

 

My experiences the drift forms at the edge of the tree line so if there’s trees on either side of the road the road is a perfect place for a drift.

with a heavy snowfall you’ll be doing the herringbone technique with that big straight expandable plow and pushing snow over to the edge backing up pushing snow to the edge backing up rinse and repeat.

With a V plow you can drive down the center of the road on your first pass and then your next pass up you Can windrow it to the side and then you go down window to the other then clean it up on your last pass back up.

As far as a V plow having more moving parts it definitely has fewer than an expandable plow. a V
Plow has just as many moving parts as a straight plow with the exception some may have one or two extra valves on the valve body if you count them as moving parts.

A V plow in the scoop mode will out stack a straight plow any day of the week.

with a gravel drive do you wanna mess with the trip edge or are you just gonna go with the full trip.

get a boss v plow.

your dealer support is so far away that it’s nonexistent.,You’re probably better off posting and asking us the question then fixing it yourself

Jmo, you should have a handle on this if you’re gonna live in a rural area you’re gonna need to be handy.
Your plow is still Warren teed against defects even if you install it yourself.
which I think you should as this way you can learn how your plow functions and when it does give you a glitch you’ll be able to troubleshoot it yourself.

How are you going get this broken plow to the dealer that’s 80 miles away in a snow storm to have him tinker with it?

 

More great advice. Thanks.

My experiences the drift forms at the edge of the tree line so if there’s trees on either side of the road the road is a perfect place for a drift.

with a heavy snowfall you’ll be doing the herringbone technique with that big straight expandable plow and pushing snow over to the edge backing up pushing snow to the edge backing up rinse and repeat.

With a V plow you can drive down the center of the road on your first pass and then your next pass up you Can windrow it to the side and then you go down window to the other then clean it up on your last pass back up.

The points in favor of the V-plow are adding up. There was a snow last year that accumulated to the point where I couldn't punch the 7'6" plow through with the F-350 on one of our secondary drives (about 300' long).

get a boss v plow.

I agree with Hydromaster. Go with a boss 9.2 v plow.

Boss continues to rack up votes.

your dealer support is so far away that it’s nonexistent.,You’re probably better off posting and asking us the question then fixing it yourself

Jmo, you should have a handle on this if you’re gonna live in a rural area you’re gonna need to be handy.
Your plow is still Warren teed against defects even if you install it yourself.
which I think you should as this way you can learn how your plow functions and when it does give you a glitch you’ll be able to troubleshoot it yourself.

How are you going get this broken plow to the dealer that’s 80 miles away in a snow storm to have him tinker with it?

Fair question and good points. Being handy and having many projects is one of my favorite parts of living in a rural area, hence the 30 year old plow trucks.

with a gravel drive do you wanna mess with the trip edge or are you just gonna go with the full trip.

My current Fisher is a trip edge and it works well. I don't have any curbs to deal with and the only obstacles are boulders, buildings and an occasional log or downed tree.

Question: what recommendations do y'all have for trip-edge v. full-trip for plowing gravel and dirt roads?

 

I agree with Hydromaster. Go with a boss 9.2 v plow.

 

Im gonna add that wind typically affects the way you plow, any snow you put on the windward side will act as a snowfence and deposit snow on your drive everytime there is a system no matter how small the amount.
I always plow to the leeward side as long as I can...

 

 

And how many "Trips" like that does it take to tweak/break the A frame....

Good to see they used a pickup that could handle the impact for the video..... the other brands would have folded the frames on the pickup

 

 

Why didn't they do the soundless trip test with the DXT?

 

No idea. I tried to search for such a video and came up empty. If there's one out there, I couldn't find it.

 

I’m a couple few hours south of you.

I’ve owned/operated Boss, Western, and Fisher. Here’s my 2 cents


Boss plows are nice. We currently have an 8’ straight blade and it’s been solid.

we really like our Fisher Plows. We own a few V’s and an XLS and they just seem to work and not ask for much in return. Our cowboy operators appreciate that they are heavily built.

western is also good, been around a long time and have a loyal following. We briefly had a couple 8’ strait blades and ran them with no complaints. Owned by the same parent company as Fisher and they use many of the same components (pumps, motors, wiring, controllers, solenoids, valves).

I don’t know much about Meyer/Snowdogg. I think they are marketed towards someone who’s budget conscious and maybe don’t have all the same features as the others. Several have said they are not as heavily built but I can’t comment to that.

Lots of brand loyalty on this site but to me they are all sorta the same…big heavy pieces of iron that swing left right up down. Obviously some will be better built than others but you’ll still need to take care of them and maintain them and they will still break when abused, even if the abuse is unintentional. Go shop your dealers and get a feel for who you like working with.

V’s are nice to have. Straights can generally do the same stuff. Our V’s seem to stack higher, throw snow farther, and carry more snow in scoop mode. We get similar snowfall to you in the mountains surrounding our valley and I can think of one time I -had- to have a V. If you get heavy wet snows regularly then a V would serve you well.

 

I’m a couple few hours south of you.

Lots of brand loyalty on this site but to me they are all sorta the same…big heavy pieces of iron that swing left right up down. Obviously some will be better built than others but you’ll still need to take care of them and maintain them and they will still break when abused, even if the abuse is unintentional. Go shop your dealers and get a feel for who you like working with.

V’s are nice to have. Straights can generally do the same stuff. Our V’s seem to stack higher, throw snow farther, and carry more snow in scoop mode. We get similar snowfall to you in the mountains surrounding our valley and I can think of one time I -had- to have a V. If you get heavy wet snows regularly then a V would serve you well.

Thanks for the sound advice. I appreciate it.

 

Came back to say one more thing- I misspoke in my last post. I do know something about Meyer plows. Guy down the road from me runs a 8.5 Meyer V. He’s pretty scary to watch operate. One morning around 5 he quit plowing mid-push to eat a breakfast burrito. Left his truck in reverse, fell asleep, foot fell off the brake and he idled through a 14’ overhead door at a tire shop. I don’t think that was unusual to him. His plow has never broken down. If it can survive at least 5 years with him running it, it’s gotta be a decent piece

 

Perhaps the marketing folks at Meyer will contact you to use that testimonial for their next ad campaign

 

I agree with most here. Looks mostly flat, so a straight blade would probably be great, but a V might be better if you have to push it around a lot,and stack. You almost can never go too wide, like up here, where you have to push snow off the edges,which are drop offs. Sometimes I wish my 9' was a 10, or I at least had an extension on one side. Had even considering mounting it offset.
Plowing has changed up here, because of new neighbors, so I am looking at putting a pipe on my plow edge,also.If I had the money, and needed a new unit, I would be looking at the new Meyer Super Blade.

 

Hey y'all, thanks for all the advice, it's been helpful. I was on the fence between a Western MVP Plus, MVP3 and the Boss (but leaning to the Western plows). The local dealer (80 miles away) and price tipped the balance in favor of the Western. Initially, I was focused on the 9'6" plow but when I saw one I realized that it was huge and it would be great for the 1 1/2 mile road but not so great for the drive near the house so I went with the MVP3 8'6" setup. Install is scheduled a few weeks from now. I'll post pics once it's installed.

Does anyone know where to get pipes for a Western plow blade? I haven't had any luck tracking them down (all of my plowing is on dirt/gravel roads).

 

You may be able to make the pipe setup, or have a local fab shop make them.
The shipping from Crystal Steel might be pricey.
Take a look at their website.

 

^^^Thanks. Crystal Steel is Boss only at this time, but I'll ping them to see if they're making progress on other brands. It's cool that they're a yooper Michigan company supporting another yooper Michigan company. They may not support a Wisconsin company.

Right now we have Groundz Keepers specially designed for Boss Plows and Snow Dogg Plows. More models coming soon.

 

Its not that difficult to make them.
Basically welding some tabs on the pipe.

 

Agreed. Either I find someone who makes them, get a fab shop to make them or buy a welder, some pipe and steel plate and let the goobers fly. Most likely #2.

 

Rumour on the playground is Horror Freight makes an awesome 110v welder...

 

That's just my speed. Interestingly, there's a HF in the same town where the plow will be installed.

 

Well, you'll certainly get some goobers with that.

Rumour on the playground is Horror Freight makes an awesome 110v welder...

 

If you cannot make your own, you can try these places,-

Great Lakes Weld LLC | Quick Guard | Traverse City, MI

Snow Plow Blade accessories

www.greatlakesweld.com

TurfDogg yard guard grass saver snow plow attachment

Prevent your and other yards from being torn up by a snow plow cutting edge. TurfDogg is a snow plow attachment that helps to alleviate the pile of mess when the snow finally melts in the spring. This snow plow attachment is a tube that wraps around the cutting edge and uses the same bolts on...

monroestore.com

 

Update: The MVP3 plow was installed a few weeks ago and it's cleared some minor snowfall since then.

The old 90" x 27" Fisher will still be in service this year but the 102" x 31"-38" MVP3 will see the most use:

Cheap truck, expensive plow...

Unfortunately, it puked all it's fluid through a loose fitting on its first run so I had to drop the plow, get some AT fluid and bring it home to tighten the fitting. The dealer sent me a gallon of the fancy Western fluid to fix this. Someone skipped a step. Urgh.

 

Now it's time to get some snow tires. What are the best tires for plowing? Just kidding! I've seen the hundreds of threads on that.

Finding 235/85 R16 tires is the challenge, esp. in studded winter tires which is what I'm looking for. It looks like Nokian Hakkapelitta, Firestone Winterforce, Toyo WLT1 and Hankook iPikes come in that size. Finding them in-stock is the challenge. The Coopers on the truck will do for now and I can chain them up but eventually I want winter tires on this truck.